A Poised Acquiescence

Prologue

Despite the July heat, he still shivers in his ragged robes as he treads the gnarled forest floor barefoot. Spidery, brittle fingers clutch at branches as he stumbles along, bony legs aching with every step. It doesn't matter where he is, how he got there, and he doesn't know where he's going, as long as he gets away from that place. That place, where his glory had its downfall, where he was trapped in a cell for who knows how long. That cell, where every bitter memory of the betrayal could be relived endlessly. Every crack in the walls, every water stain, seemed to be an etching of that hated face. Every sound was like that voice haunting him, repeating, "You killed her...you killed her…" until he muttered those words in his sleep.

A sharp pain in his left foot made him finally collapse onto the dead leaves and bark below his feet. It was wet; there was blood. How was he ever going to survive? He was old, frail, weak. Most important was his revenge – he supposed that was why he came to this place. Thinking again of his enemy, he clenched his hand shut, closing on something cold. His eyes snapped open, and he quickly observed the object.

It was a ring, gold and set with a black stone. He squinted to read the engravings upon the stone. It couldn't be…it was. Nearly dropping the object in surprise and glee, he read the engravings again.

It was. It was one of the objects he had been searching for all his life, yes, see, there was the crest! His youth and power came flooding back to him in his happiness, and with every passing moment, he felt himself getting stronger.

He no longer shivered. He could stand up straight. The ache in his legs disappeared. Slowly, with an air of slight insanity, he began to laugh there, under the trees, holding the Resurrection stone tightly in his fist.